Superintendent Proposes Accepting More Open Choice Students To Add To Pre-K

FARMINGTON — Through the addition of six new Open Choice students, the Farmington School District hopes to add another class to the Collaborative Preschool Program.

Superintendent Kathleen Greider proposed to the Board of Education Monday night adding another class to the program by adding these six pre-k students to help fund the program. Towns receive funding from the state based on the number of Open Choice students enrolled in the school district.

By adding these six students, Greider said, the town would be able to add an additional 10 to 12 spots for Farmington students that would not be available without the Open Choice funding.

"It would be a self-sustaining program and won't affect the budget," Greider said.

Without the Open Choice funding, Board Chair Mary Grace Reed said: "I would say we would not be recommending the addition to the budget."

Michael Ryan, the district's business administrator, said this would help alleviate the current waiting-list for the program, which he didn't have exact numbers for but remains around 20 students.

Currently, Farmington has 97 students enrolled through Open Choice, which represents 2.3 percent of the student body. Under Open Choice regulations, schools that enroll more than 2 percent but less than 3 percent receive $4,000 per student.

With the addition of these six students, Greider said the school will have 103 Open Choice students enrolled, which will come to about 2.6 percent of the school population.

Greider said that the district would continue to take in another six to eight pre-k students to keep the additional class running.